See where these 13 SJ County boys volleyball teams landed in the SJS playoffs
Months of practice, game-day matches, and countless hours in the gym all led up to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section boys' volleyball playoffs. The playoff brackets were released on April 28 and for 13 San Joaquin County teams, the moment they have been preparing for is here.
Edison, McNair, St. Mary’s, Tokay, Mountain House, Lodi, Manteca, Weston Ranch, Sierra, Kimball, Lathrop, Ripon, and Ripon Christian will be representing the 209 in the 2022-23 postseason.
The Record will break down each team’s first-round matchup as their quest for a blue banner starts at 7 p.m. on May 2.
Division 1
No. 16 Tokay at No.1 Jesuit
Tokay has a tall task on its hands. Not only are the Tigers facing the number one seed in the bracket but they are facing the reigning champs. With an overall record of 6-11 and coming off a two-game losing streak it will take near perfection to pull off the upset.
Seniors Justin Carpenter and Bikram Singh can help lead Tokay to that kind of performance. The duo averages around six kills per set combined and plays a big role in offensive attacks. It may be harder to get the ball through the Maradaurs’ big bodies such as 6-foot 6-inch Adrian Alvarez. However, if the Tigers duo and supporting cast can work seamlessly on offense they could pull off a miracle.
No. 9 Inderkum at No. 8 St. Mary’s
The Rams hold the highest seed in Division 1 for 209-based teams. They ended the season with an overall record of 20-12 ad notable wins against other teams in the bracket like Edison and McNair. This earned them a homecourt advantage and they will take on the 17-16 Inderkum Tigers.
The matchup will pin seniors Keegan Schneider of St. Mary’s and Inderkum’s Logan Rodriguez. Schneider is the Ram’s middle blocker but he leads the team in kills per set, 3.2 kills. Rodriguez has the hot hand for the Tigers averaging 3.3 kills per set. St. Mary’s may have the upper hand though with junior Daniel Huerta who can also get things started offensively.
No. 13 Edison at No. 4 Davis
Edison closed out league play by finishing third in the San Joaquin Athletic Association with a league record of 6-4. This earned them an away matchup against No. 4 Davis who hasn’t lost a game since April 6.
The Vikings will have to battle it out against an elite attacker with players who know how to set him up. The Blue Devils Ethan Wells will be the one to watch. He currently has over 200 kills so far this season. Edison’s defense is solid enough to be competitive with seniors Jeremiah White and Jordan Jay Nuezca leading the charge.
No. 11 McNair at No. 6 Laguna Creek
No. 11 seed McNair will be on the road for the first round facing off against No. 6 Laguna Creek. The Eagles ended up coming up short of winning the SJAA finishing second with a league record of 10-2 and an overall record of 13-5. Their biggest asset this season has been their athleticism at the outside hitter position.
From leading McNair on the field as a wide receiver to leading them on the court, Jeremiah Nash can do it all for his team. He has the third most kills in the SJAA with 152. The senior also has the Eagles' most total blocks, 56. Nash and the Eagles will have a big challenge taking on the Cardinals as they are on a 12-game winning streak.
2023 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Volleyball Playoffs Division 1
Division 2
No. 9 Patterson at No. 8 Mountain House
The Mustangs’ stellar regular season couldn’t have ended any better with them taking down the 2022 SJS Division 3 champ Lathrop on April 25. They will look to build off that momentum in their home game against No. 9 Patterson. A key to doing so is getting solid contributions from the senior-sophomore duo of Adithya Anjaneya Gundlapalli and Manil Mehta.
The outside hitters make up Mountain House’s explosive offense each averaging close to three kills per set. Gundlapalli and Mehta will have to outperform Patterson’s outside hitter George Ruiz. The junior leads the Tigers in both kills per set and total blocks. The Mustangs have already beaten Patterson twice during the regular season and are looking to go for a three-peat.
No. 13 Lodi at No. 4 El Capitan
Despite finishing second in the Tri-City Athletic League and with an overall record of 16-8, Lodi was seeded at No. 13. The Flames will travel to Merced to play against No. 4 El Capitan. The Gauchos ended their season also second place in their league, Central California Conference, making this pretty evenly matched.
Lodi’s offensive attacks are run through seniors Nathan Bishop and Connor Davis. Bishop is the Flames' setter leading them in assists, hitting percentage, and total blocks. While Bishop is setting things up, Davis does the attacking. He averages close to three kills per set and has a total of 81 kills. El Capitan’s players to watch in this game are outsider hitter Marcus Moua and setter Anthony Hermosillo.
No. 10 Manteca at No. 7 Weston Ranch
The No. 10 and No. 7 matchup will be pinning two local teams against each other. No. 7 seed Weston Ranch is fresh off its SJAA championship while No. 10 Manteca just captured the Valley Oak League championship. The battle between champions will be the second time the Buffaoles and Cougars meet this season.
On March 6, Weston Ranch took Manteca down winning 3-1 on the heels of its junior star, Abraham Palacios. The outside hitter finished that match leading all players with 16 kills, seven blocks, and two aces. If Manteca wants to get revenge it will need to shut Palacios down. Camden Steckler is the key to doing so. The senior is ranked 19th in the state for total blocks with 85 so far this season.
2023 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Volleyball Playoffs Division 2
Division 3
No. 12 Mira Loma at No. 5 Sierra
Seeded at No. 5, Sierra is the highest-ranked SJ County team in the Division 3 bracket. The Timberwolves have had a battle-tested season beating teams like Lathrop, Manteca, Kimball, and Tokay. They will face off against No. 12 Mira Loma who ended with an overall record of 14-8.
Leading Sierra is sophomore outside hitter Owen Altadonna. When the Timberwolves need clutch offense and defense, Altadonna answers the call. His sharp attacking skills have him ranked 19th in California in hitting percentage, 41.5%. The Matadors have their own rising star in junior Arvind Kashyap. In their last match, he led his team to victory with 15 kills to beat Mesa Verde on April 27.
No. 13 Kimball at No. 4 Vanden
The Jaguars will be heading to Fairfield to take on the No. 4 seed Vanden. Kimball had a season filled with tough matchups against playoff-bound teams. It ended the regular season third in the VOL with an overall record of 16-12. Taking down some of those opponents is thanks to the Jaguars' junior outside hitter, Gage Wimberely.
Wimberely is a top performer in the VOL and is Kimball’s best server. He leads his team in aces with a total of 44 aces. Vanden will be Kimball’s biggest challenge yet as it hasn’t lost a match since March 27. The Vikings are looking to flex its offensive muscles through Christian Ting to beat out Kimball.
No. 10 Livingston at No. 7 Lathrop
As the reigning SJS Division 3 champs, Lathrop will have a target on its back the entire postseason. The Spartans had an up-and-down season losing close games against Manteca, Mountain House, and Sierra. They will host No. 10 Livingston in hopes of starting the postseason off right.
Livingston won’t make it easier for them. The Wolves, who won the Trans Valley League championship this season, have the league’s top outside hitter duo in seniors Jaskaran Dhadda and Christopher Bettencourt. Lathrop has one of the state’s top Libero in Lucas Baluyut. He has the second most digs in the state. The more productive offense will win this matchup.
No. 15 Ripon at No. 2 Merced
Ripon secured one of the final spots in the SJS Division 3 bracket seeded at No. 15. The Indians will be on the road against the No. 2 Merced. They finished league play in second place behind Livingston with a record of 4-2. Ripon’s most notable game this season though was a nonleague match where it upset Weston Ranch to win 2-1.
Senior outside hitter Hunter Adams played an essential role in taking down the Cougars. He is the Indians' best attacker and he will need to show out against the Bears. Merced has been on a winning spree lately building up a 12-game win streak. The CCC champs are looking to make it 13 this Tuesday.
2023 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Volleyball Playoffs Division 3
Division 4
No. 16 Lodi Academy at No. 1 Ripon Christian
Ripon Christian is the only area team to earn a No. 1 seed in the postseason. This comes as no surprise for a Knights team that last year won a CIF Division IV NorCal State Championship and took home an SJS Division 4 blue banner. This year, their first postseason opponent will be No. 16 Lodi Academy.
The Titans have an overall record of 6-4, only playing against Mountain Valley League foes. They will have their hands full against Ripon Christians’ towers of terror in 6-foot 4-inch Joel Van Groningen and 6-foot 3-inch Josiah Reif. The senior outside hitters average close to five kills a game each. With these two and a handful of other six-footers, Ripon Christian is a clear favorite in this match.
2023 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Boys Volleyball Playoffs Division 4
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Here are the 13 boys volleyball teams who made the SJS playoffs
